Elise Balin
Staff Writer
A brass/percussion ensemble that describes themselves as a mix of fiery Balkan brass, irresistible beats, Roma (Gypsy) accordion wizardry and virtuoso jazz chops, will display their talents at The Performing Arts Center today.
“These nine musicians pump the sounds of life through a Balkan brass filter, reimagining the tradition while making new music out of immigration, integration, and ingenuity” said Baylin Artist Management in a statement.
UW present series director, Philip Moline, said he has been looking forward to bringing this creative group of musicians, The Slavic Soul Party!, to Laramie for quite some time. As a group, they take performances to a new level by creating a unique sound with instrumental variation.
“I am excited about their blending of many different styles,” Moline said.
The Slavic Soul Party! is a group made up of nine talented musicians that have called Brooklyn, New York home for a number of years. Fans from all around travel to New York to listen and experience their music to the fullest. Not only does the Slavic Soul Party! draw a crowd in Brooklyn, but they have spent a decade touring around the globe, drawing attention from an array of countries across the world.
“SSP! has performed everywhere from Serbian schoolyards to prison courtyards, Turkish palaces to Russian baths, the Kennedy Center to Carnegie Hall to the Chicago Jazz Festival and from Amsterdam to Zimbabwe,” the groups’ synopsis states.
The ensembles five-star reviews come from a variety of fans, but music critics alike say that the Slavic Soul Party! is a talented and unique group of musicians.
“The arrangement found on ‘Slavic Soul Party! Plays Duke Ellington’s Far East Suite’ is a match made in high-concept heaven (or maybe just in Brooklyn): a rambunctious Balkan party band reinterpreting Ellington’s earthy, yet endlessly sophisticated music,” said on National Public Radio.
The positive reviews continue as The Wall Street Journal described their most recent album as a manifesto on cultural boundaries, historical lineage and how they play into individual creativity.
Fans, students and music enthusiasts can experience The Slavic Soul Party! today at 7:30 p.m. in the UW Performing Arts Center. Tickets can be acquired in the box office or online at uwyo.edu/uwpresents.
